I didn't feel like doing the research because I will get the usual mixed answers...does anyone have RCS with neon fish? Or will the fish pick off their limbs and keep them living in fear?!! Don't want that..

For me, I wouldn't hesitate to do neons with RCS. The shrimp will not be as active out in the open, and would be less visible as they would be in a shrimp only tank, but I doubt neons will pay much notice to them. Just my opinion, not my experience.

When RCS molt, they are as soft as jello. Keep that in mind when you put fish food (basically dwarf shrimp) that is in nature, clearish-brown (camouflaged) but has been bred by shrimpkeepers to be BRIGHT RED, into a tank full of natural predators.

What you have is a waste of money. I've seen Celesial Pearl Danios at under an inch grab an rcs and play tug o' war with another CPD.

It's ultimately up to you, but at 1-4 dollars per shrimp, I'd be wary of it.

On another note, out of the many different fish people ask about putting with their shrimp, I'd have to say that neon tetras is one of the better ones. Most of the time people are asking if they can put them in with their Rams or congo tetras, or betta, even gouramis... All of those fish will gobble up shrimp like candy.

Though I don't blame you for thinking the shrimp is much bigger than the neons mouth, most people just don't realize that when shrimp molt, they're so soft and easy to eat... And they also can't flick away like they can when their exoskeleton is developed.

Now if you start with a larger colony, with maybe 20 RCS, and wait a month before adding the tetras, you will already having a breeding population, and the tetras will if anything, only keep them in check. They'll still multiply, but you'll have to supply java moss bunches for them to hide in, and also small hiding places like bamboo charcoal so they can recover from molting.

The only downside to supplying plenty of hiding places is... In a tank with fish, they'll always be hiding!!! hah!

Also, I've yet to find a fish other than otocinculus that refuses to eat shrimp fry. Shrimp fry are a treat for any fish, and shrimp fry are also extremely naive in the fact that they do not hide very well, lol.

But if you can get a good deal on 20 like I said, like from aquabid or here in the classifieds, then try establishing a colony before adding the tetras. Only reason I suggest having the shrimp in there for a month before adding the fish, is that it takes about a month after transit for them to recover enough to feel comfortable breeding, but once they start, they will not stop!

Yes, another great thing for RCS is almond leaves. Good for neon tetras as well.

In fact, one of the methods for breeding neons in tanks is to use indian almond leaves, which helps reproduce the high humic and tannic acids that occur in the forest ponds where they spawn in nature!

Also, if you do decide to do an RCS and neon tank, one great hiding place for your RCS would be to do a 'leaf litter' floor in your tank, boiling then spreading indian almond leaves in 2-3 layers across the entire floor of your tank. The shrimp will hide and dine within the leaves, and the neons will dart around happily in the resultant "tea".